Cubs cut ties with Taillon as rotation crumbles before deadline

The move came down Monday: Jameson Taillon is out, Andrew Wantz is in. Mark Feinsand broke the transaction as it happened, and MLB Trade Rumors had the writeup up within minutes.

Mark Feinsand

@Feinsand

The Cubs have called up RHP Andrew Wantz from Triple-A Iowa and designated RHP Jameson Taillon for assignment.

This wasn't really a shock if you'd been watching Taillon's season unravel. The 34-year-old righty is in the final year of the 4-year, $68 million deal he signed with the Cubs back in December 2022, and it's been an ugly way to close it out — 2-6 with a career-worst 5.92 ERA through 15 starts, and he's been the most homer-prone starter in the National League. The breaking point reportedly came over the weekend when the Pirates rocked him for 7 runs in just 4 innings, the kind of start that makes a front office stop pretending a turnaround is coming.

MLB Trade Rumors

@mlbtraderumors

Cubs Designate Jameson Taillon For Assignment t.co/g8WgMpuaUm

The corresponding move — recalling Andrew Wantz from Triple-A Iowa — is about as low-key as roster shuffles get, but the timing says a lot. This is happening days before the trade deadline, right when contenders are supposed to be adding pitching depth, not scrambling to replace it. Instead the Cubs are DFA'ing a guy making $18 million this year and turning to bullpen depth from Iowa to fill the gap.

For a team trying to hold its ground in a crowded NL Central race, losing a rotation piece — even a struggling one — days before the deadline is the kind of thing that forces the front office's hand. Do the Cubs now have to be buyers on a starting pitcher they weren't necessarily planning on chasing? Taillon, meanwhile, gets 7 days on waivers before either landing elsewhere, accepting a minor league assignment, or becoming a free agent — an unceremonious way for a former first-round pick and Pirates/Yankees veteran to wrap up a $68 million contract.

Taillon still has name recognition and a track record of being a durable, useful mid-rotation arm when healthy, so don't be shocked if a team kicks the tires as a change-of-scenery flier. But for now, the Cubs have made their call: this version of Taillon wasn't helping them win games, and with the deadline bearing down, they didn't have the luxury of waiting to see if things turned around.